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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — a series
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com